The New Seeds
by pinksongstress
Summary: Kira and Lacus now have children. Will they find peace for their new seeds to bloom?
1. Chapter 1 The Gift

**The New Seeds**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Seed or Destiny series and their characters. If I did, then I would be the happiest girl in the world.

ooOoo

Chapter 1: The Gift

Copernicus City

Kira and Lacus had just finished their dinner after a long day of shopping for baby stuffs. Diapers, bottles, rattles, bibs, blankets, strollers, and even approved teething devices. It takes a lot of stuffs to keep modern babies in the manner to which they've become accustomed. It's been a long time since they went out together, Kira Yamato, being the General of the Orb Defense Force, while Lacus Clyne as the Chairwoman of the PLANTs Supreme Council. They haven't been spending much time with each other, due to their current positions in their nations. But because of Lacus' current "state", both had decided to take their leave and are now enjoying their time with each other.

Kira waved his hand to the waiter at the counter, and paid him the amount of which he and his wife-to-be ate. After paying the bill, Kira saw Lacus caressing her belly affectionately, her eyes were gentle and very soothing, the motherly act made him smile. He glanced at his watch, and noticed that it was already late.

"Ah Lacus, are you ready to go?" he asked, there was a slight concern in his tone, worried that Lacus must be exhausted from the all the shopping that they have been doing.

"Yes Kira, let's go." She nodded in response.

Kira then picked up the shopping bags that were lying down on the carpeted floor. More than 6 bags on each hand, and he still has to carry a box for the stroller.

"Do you need some help there, Kira?" Lacus asked, as she saw her husband struggling hard in carrying their bags.

"No dear, I can handle it." He said with a smile. He doesn't want Lacus to lift anything, not even a finger.

A waiter came to offer his services to carry the packages, in which Kira graciously accepted. He looked at his wife that is still sitting on her chair, and then nodded at her to tell her that they're ready to leave. Lacus held on the handle of her seat to give her support to stand up. She grabbed her purse, when suddenly, a gush of pain flowed down her spine. The pain began as a dull ache deep in the pit of Lacus' stomach. She didn't take them seriously and ignored the feeling. Kira saw Lacus made a slight wince and came to her side at once.

"Are you okay there, Lacus?" Kira asked as he placed his right hand on Lacus' belly, dropping the shopping bags back down on the floor.

"Yeah, probably something I ate." She said, putting her hand on top of his. She gently smiled at Kira, touched by his act of concern.

"Alright then, if you say so, Lacus." He smiled back, but somehow he knew that she was lying. He then picked the bags again that he just dropped.

"Nnnngggghhhh...Kira..." the dull pain suddenly became a searing pain ripping down her back.

"Lacus, what's wrong?" Kira rushed to her side. "Is it time?" he asked as he tries to help his wife sit back on the chair.

"Nnnngghh...y-yeah...it's time...aaaaahhhhhhh!" she said until she let out an agonizing scream. People began to gather at the site. A middle-aged woman came to Lacus' side to help her into a more comfortable position.

"Hurry! Call an ambulance!" the woman shouted at Kira.

"O-okay...hold on there, Lacus." Kira frantically pulled out his cellphone and asked the operator to send in an ambulance.

"K-Kira...my water broke!" Lacus cried out.

"Stay calm, dear. Just...just pant. Like they do on TV." Kira rushed back to Lacus and saw a puddle of water on the floor.

Lacus began to breathe in rapid short breaths.

"Hang in there, dear. They'll be here soon." He tried to calm Lacus down and held her hand to tell her that it will be alright.

The door opened and a stretcher came in together with two paramedics. "Quickly now, we'd better get her to the hospital." They helped her to the stretcher and rushed towards the door of the restaurant. Kira went along with them, not letting go of his wife's hand.

The ambulance drove swiftly through the city roads, driving for only 15 minutes before they arrive at the hospital. A doctor hurriedly came to their help together with 3 nurses as they pulled out Lacus out of the ambulance, as they wheeled her to the delivery room at once.

"Ahhhhh!" Lacus screamed loudly, wriggling on the bed in the. The doctor and the nurses were walking back and forth busily, preparing themselves for the big event.

"Only two minutes between her contractions," the doctor said.

Lacus was breathing heavily, her grey eyes wide and terrified, as she kept on squirming in agony. The doctor told her to try to remain calm and take slow, deep breaths, but it just seemed impossible. Beside her bed was a very distraught Kira, who is still holding her hand, but barely could stand still and winced every time the Lacus screamed in pain.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! A shrill scream echoed inside, penetrating the walls of the room.

"Here's another one!" Lacus gasped and suddenly grasped Kira's hand, squeezing it hard, "It HURTS!" she whined.

Kira stood stiff opposite to Lacus, unable to move due to the unspeakable sight he's seeing now. "The Miracle of Life", that's what they call it. It's a miracle alright, to witness such an unbelievable occasion. Lacus gave another scream and blood started to ooze down her legs and something and someone was trying to get out of what looks like a tight canal.

"Oh…my…God…" Kira spoke word by word as he saw a small round head popping out of Lacus

The Ultimate Coordinator started to feel funny, as he noticed that the white hospital walls are starting to spin around him. His face looks pale and his sweats are cold.

"Lacus…," was all he could say, he couldn't really find the words. And before he got the chance to say anything, Kira fell to the ground and fainted.

"Mr. Yamato!!!" One of the nurses came and started to fan the unconscious man. Kira slightly opened his eyelids and began to recover rapidly from the fall. He subconsciously put his right hand above his face and sigh.

"Your first time in the delivery room sir?" The nurse asked, trying to help Kira to sit up. Kira nodded in response his face this looks white. The nurse let out a soft laugh and heaves Kira to stand up. "It's normal for a man to faint as he sees a woman giving birth for the first time, Mr Yamato. But you better leave now, sir. We'll take care of her from here." She said as she pushed Kira out the door.

"But…" he tried to resist the nurse.

"No buts. You'll see her when it's over. Shoo," the young woman shoved him out and closed the door behind him.

He could hear Lacus scream again, "DAMN YOU KIRA!" she shouted. He tried not to be offended with his distressed wife– she warned him that she might say something like that.

Turning around, he saw that all his friends were running through the hall towards him.

"How's she doing, Kira? We came here as fast as we could," Athrun said, somewhat nervously, while Cagalli had her arm wrapped around his.

Cagalli was fidgeting still clinging at Athrun, while Athrun was trying to make her stop.

Kira didn't reply. He leaned against the wall in the hall, looking pale – almost ill. Kira blindly paced the corridor outside the delivery room. He couldn't sit down, though the room was big enough and he could have had any chair he wanted. If he stopped walking, he thought, he might very well fall down and not be able to stand again. He hadn't known such crippling fear existed. He had never felt it this way before, not even when he looked down the barrel of weapon pointed at his face.

Murrue cleared her throat, "Come on now, everyone. There's no need to worry, it's not anything fatal, she's just going through a birth. It's a natural thing,"

_That was easy for you to say, Murrue,since you had never given birth to a child yourself_. Kira thought to himself. Mwu could tell even she was nervous, and he put his arms around her.

Everybody waited eagerly at the hall, while Kira was trying his best to get a grip on himself. He's still looking into space, his mind seems blank.

They could still hear Lacus' cries through the door. She sounded like she was being torn apart from inside, and he didn't even want to imagine what it was really like. All the old fear that had been there in the beginning returned. At that moment, he believed he had never before found it so hard to stand still and wait.

_What if something goes wrong? What if something bad happen to her? To the babies? What if both of them die? _

Then everything fell quiet. So silent, he could hear himself breathe. Everybody stared at the door. The silence was followed by new cries – but they were different. It wasn't Lacus – they were the infantile cries of a newborn.

Everybody in the hall cheered, and Kira sighed heavily and let some of the tension leave his body. Athrun went over and patted him on the back and Cagalli even kissed his cheek. She felt it was the only time she could ever allow herself to do that and took the opportunity.

Minutes later, the door to the delivery room opened, and the doctor peeked out. The doctor gave Kira a warm smile, "You can come inside and see them now."

Kira pulled himself back together, his eyes wide, "Is she…are they… okay?"

She nodded, "Ms. Lacus and the twins are fine. Congratulations."

_Twins..._

Taking a deep breath, Kira turned and looked at the others. All of them were smiling at him, and Athrun was grinning stupidly. Trembling ever so slightly, the young general followed the doctor inside.

Kira was in a daze. He couldn't think clearly, he was frightened and insanely curious at the same time. What was he going to say? How was Lacus doing? Was she still as upset as she had sounded earlier? Of course not, she was just in pain then. But what if-

All his thoughts were put on hold as the doctor pulled away the curtains: And there they were.

Lacus, his pink haired, gray-eyed princess, looking exhausted and sweaty, but beautiful as always. She was holding something small in her arms. No, not something… A baby, wrapped in a pink sheet, only its dark brown haired head visible. A nurse was by her side, holding another baby wrapped in a blue sheet.

When she noticed him arrive, Lacus looked up at him, smiling tiredly but happily, "Kira, come and meet your children."

As on instinct, he walked closer to them, his eyes locked on the tiny human being Lacus was holding. Then he saw the child the nurse is holding in her arms. The second Kira saw the babies' faces a rush of probably every emotion he ever had experienced – along with a few he couldn't recognize – washed over him. It was so overwhelming he hardly could breathe, much less speak. Sinking down to his knees next to the bed, he watched the infants with awe.

Lacus was amused by her beloved's expression – she had never seen him so utterly stunned or speechless before, "Aren't they beautiful?" she asked, looking back down at the babies. Kira could only nod.

"Want to hold him?" Lacus asked Kira, as she looked at her son being carried by the nurse.

Kira's gaze flew up to her for a second, but he didn't reply. Not bothering to ask him again, Lacus simply nodded at the nurse beside her, signaling her to handed the child over to him,

"Here. Just be careful with his head and try to hold him like I did." The nurse said, as she handed the baby over to his father.

Not seeing he had any other choice, Kira reached up and took the baby into his arms as gently as he possibly could. He was so tiny, so fragile… Kira was almost afraid he would drop him or that he would break between his fingers.

The baby squirmed a little and blinked his eyes open for the first time, looking up at Kira without focusing. His eyes were gray and thin, exact copies of Lacus'. Then he looked at his daughter, being carried by Lacus. She's so beautiful, just like their mother, she has a very peaceful face, soft brown hair...almost like an angel. That was when Lacus' words came back to Kira, and he finally began to realize it.

_Their son. _

_Their daughter. _

_Their children..._

_I'm a father_

All the emotions welled up in him again, and Kira couldn't help himself. He started to smile, then grin, and suddenly, he was laughing, "Lacus, we have a son and a daughter!" he said, as if it was news to her.

Lacus looked at him in surprise, though. She had never seen Kira this happy, and she doubted he even had laughed like this before at all, but the sight pleased her. She laughed in return and nodded, leaning forward to hug him, "Yes, we do! We do, and they're perfect."

His laugh quickly faded to a weak smile, then vanished completely as he tasted the other feelings. Kira closed his eyes for a second as Lacus pulled back from him again then looked back down at the baby.

Despite how tired she felt, Lacus noticed the sudden change, "Kira, are you all right?" she asked, holding the child tightly against her.

_I don't know.._

He felt dizzy again, and was getting a headache, "You probably need to rest," was all he said, changing the subject.

"So do you," Lacus said, glancing at the clock on the table, "It's past midnight…," she blinked,

Kira blinked, "What?"

"It's the 18th of May. It's your birthday," Lacus smiled.

"Oh…right...I guess I forgot...," Kira put a hand to his forehead and nodded. That was true.

She giggled, "What a birthday gift, huh? Happy birthday, Kira."

Just in that second, the doctor came in, "Ms. Lacus, you should really get some sleep now. The others can see you tomorrow," she took the infant away from the young mother and the other one from the General, and then lay them in a small baby bed next to where Lacus was lying, "Mr. Yamato, maybe you should get some rest too?"

He shook his head quickly, "I'd like to stay here with them."

The doctor frowned a little, "Well, there aren't any extra beds… And you could disturb Ms. Lacus."

This time, Lacus was the first to protest, "No, let him stay, doctor. I feel better that way."

The Doctor sighed, "As you wish. But you must sleep, Miss Lacus," with that, she left them alone.

Lacus smiled at Kira then closed her eyes. It didn't take long before her breath became slower and she slipped off to dream world.

Kira found himself a chair and sat next to the bed, watching the girl sleep, the headache pounding between his eyes. Lacus was asleep, exhausted from her long labor and then the fright and stress of having her delivery when the twins came. Her eyes were circled with fatigue, but Kira thought she had never been more beautiful. Her face, when she held the baby in her arms, had been exalted. Until he died, he would never forget that moment. The medical personnel in the room had faded away to nothing, and it had been just him and his wife and their children.

Unable to figure out whether he should be happy or upset, Kira turned to look out of the hospital's window, staring out at the dark night.

_I just hope that our children will live a happy peaceful life. Not being to experience the pain and loneliness that we suffered in the past._

And then, as he looked out the window, he could have sworn that he saw a shooting star crossing the sky.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2 The Silver Ring

**The New Seeds**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny series and their characters. If I did, then I would be the happiest girl in the world.

ooOoo

Chapter 2: Silver ring

"They're just so adorable, Lacus!" Cagalli never got tired of repeating that sentence. She giggled and rocked the little boy back and forth in her arms, "He looks a lot like Kira... well except for his hair and eye color." She played with the baby's little hands as it opens and closes while the child tries to grab hold of Cagalli's finger.

Kira was dumbfounded by what he just witnessed, his eyes were wide open with shock, his jaw dropped with no words coming out, and his face was pale white.

_What the heck? Is she really Cagalli? _

"Look, he got your nose and your mouth and your cute face, he looks pretty much like you, Kira. He's soooo CUTE!" Cagalli added while playing at the child's nose.

_CUTE? That means...I'm cute? Hearing it from Cagalli makes my hair stand!_

Kira almost dropped his drink after seeing this kind of side of his twin sister. A chill ran down his spine and felt a cold feeling engulfing his whole body. Now Athrun was in the same state as his best friend, shocked. Kira walked a bit closer to Arthun, close enough for him to hear what he's gonna say.

"Hey, Athrun..." Kira called to the guy beside him carefully. "...what the heck happened to the tomboyish princess of Orb? What have you done to her?"

"Wha--? Don't ask me... I haven't done anything to her yet." Athrun quietly answered back.

"Hey! What are you two whispering about?" Cagalli shot them a glare suspicious of their dodgy act.

"Nothing." both said in unison.

Cagalli raised her eyebrow, knowing that they're talking about something weird again. But eventually ignored them and turned her attention back to the child she's holding.

"Hey there, mini-Kira. It's auntie Cagalli. Can you say Cagalli? Ca-ga-lliiiiiiii…" she playfully talked to the baby with pursed lips.

"Uhhh...Cagalli, the kid's three days old. You don't seriously expect him to talk, do ya?" Athrun commented, smirking. He and Cagalli were visiting Kira and Lacus' room, they're temporarily staying at Orb at the Attha's residence to settle some of their business. And Athrun had been the only one not busy at the moment and Cagalli had dragged him with her to see the twins yet again.

"Well, you never know," Cagalli pouted.

Lacus giggled as she held her daughter close for her to feed. "Well, Kira and I decided to make them both Coordinators, so we modified their genes a bit."

"I see...I just hope that the twins doesn't get Kira's "slacker gene". Athrun smirked.

"What the--? What's that supposed to mean? I'm not a slacker!" Kira defended himself.

"Oh really? Then why do I have to do all of your assignments in microrobotics back when we were kids, huh?" Athrun folded his arms across his chest, an insolent smile etched on his face.

"Well, that's...its just that I don't like that class, that's all!" Kira pouted like a little kid.

Their daughter suddenly woke up in Lacus' arms because of all the noise stirring up in the room, the little baby girl looked up at her mother.

"Oh! She's awake! Doesn't she just have the most adorable brown eyes!" Cagalli peeked beyond the baby's pink sheet wrapping her little body.

Lacus, who was sitting next to Cagalli in the couch, glanced over at her daughter curiously, "Strange… I thought babies usually cry when they wake up. She's just so quiet… Too quiet, almost," she continued to nurse her.

"As Kira's her dad, I don't really find that so strange," Athrun muttered, then grinned, "You know, Kira's the shy quiet type of guy. I can't just imagine Kira changing diapers…"

"Oh, I think I'll take care of those," Lacus laughed, "For now."

"Ummm...Do I really have to do that, Lacus?" Kira asked.

"Of course you have to, Kira." she answered with a smile. "As well as feeding the twins, bathing and doing their laundry." she added.

"Great. Just great," Kira put a hand to his forehead, glancing sideways at the twins. Everybody in the room laughed. Imagine, the legendary pilot of the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom changing stinky-icky baby diapers.

Kira sighed and went over to sit down next to Lacus.

"Don't worry, Kira. I know that you'll do fine. You're gonna be a great daddy." Lacus gave him a cheerful smile.

"Thanks, Lacus" Kira sighed again and looked down at the floor.

_I promise. I'll be a good father to them..._He glanced at their children and brought a smile across his face.

Athrun cleared his throat, "So, like… Have you guys thought of their names yet?" he asked, in a rather successful attempt at changing the subject.

Kira almost seemed surprised, as if the thought of the twins needing their names hadn't occurred to him before now. Lacus, however, looked thoughtfully down at the child, "I've been thinking about a few names…," she admitted.

"Let's hear 'em!" Cagalli said enthusiastically, still playing with the little boy.

"Okay," Lacus mused, looking over at Kira. Simply assuming he didn't have any suggestions, she started listing the names, "At first, I thought about something to match my name and Kira's… Like Kiara and Leon… or even Kain and Lenne. But I didn't think those quite fit to such little angels."

"So, I started to think about our parents' names. Caridad could be turned into Carrie or Haruma could be Harumi… Then there's Seigel, of course, but…," she wrinkled her nose.

_This could take all day…_Kira thought to himself.

Lacus smiled softly still and glanced over at the young man sitting next to her, "I don't know… Kira, what do you think?"

"I'm not good with names. But what about Rie and Souichirou?" Kira suggested.

"Rie and Souichirou?" Athrun shrugged, "That's kind of nice…"

"You're going to call them Rie and Souichirou?" Cagalli smiled, "I like it!"

"Rie and Souichirou," Lacus tasted the name, "Rie Clyne Yamato…" she looked at her daughter in her arms.

"And Souichirou Clyne Yamato." then to their son into Cagalli's arms.

"Clyne? Kira, don't tell me you still haven't-" Athrun suddenly got punched rather hard in the side by Cagalli. He yelped and coughed, stumbling a bit backwards.

"Oops! Sorry!" Cagalli patted him on the shoulder, "There was a big bug on you. So I kinda removed it before it could do anything… you'd regret, you know?"

Athrun glared at her, rubbing his side, but he didn't say anything. Lacus watched them both oddly, "What?"

Kira just shook his head. Cagalli tugged on Athrun's arm, "Here." she stood up and gave Kira the little boy. "C'mon, we gotta go. You promised to help me prepare for the Orb's Festival, remember?"

Athrun blinked, "Hey! I thought that wasn't for another… 6 months or so!"

"Well, I'm pulling it off a little early… You know, to celebrate Rie and Souichi. Come now," she continued to pull him towards the door. Athrun rolled his eyes, then shot Kira a look and mouthed 'chicken' to him, before leaving the room along with Cagalli.

Lacus giggled, "They're so sweet."

"Whatever," Kira murmured.

"Kira… is there something on your mind?"

_Apart from the fact that I'm going to kill Athrun for calling me 'chicken'_

_Well… all right then._

"Well… actually, yes."

"Really? Okay, I'm all ears." Lacus teased, giggling again.

"Okay. Look, seems like the twins are asleep… Why don't we put them in their bed? There's something I… need to tell you."

_Might as well get it over with…_

Lacus blinked, both confused and curious now. She nodded and they both carried their children over to the baby bed, then turned towards Kira again, "What is it then?"

Kira sighed softly and rose, walking over to her. He spent a few seconds trying to figure out what to say before putting his hand in his pocket and pulling something out… a small black ring box, he then handed it over to Lacus.

"Take it..." Kira said, but Lacus hesitated at first, confused with what kind of act is this, but eventually took it from his hand.

"What is this all about, Kira?" she asked as she looked at the box in her hand and then looked back at Kira and met his gaze.

"If you open it, you'll find a silver ring that looked exactly like the one you gave me. Only that, I've put a little diamond on it." he looked away from her grey eyes, his face was all red. Then, he reached out with his other hand to grab one of Lacus' hands, and slipped the silver ring onto her finger.

Staring at the ring with wide eyes, Lacus couldn't believe what was happening. For a moment, she thought Kira was joking – then again, he never joked like this before. Looking up at his face again, she noticed his frown and normally plain expression had been replaced by a questioning, almost pleading look.

"Will you…?" he asked. He didn't need to say more.

That was about as romantic as Kira could get, but in Lacus' eyes, it was just perfect. She smiled widely and threw herself at him, almost throwing him off balance, "Oh, Kira, I thought you'd never ask!"

He seemed to be caught a bit off guard. "Well, you know I'm not really good at stuffs like this." He scratched his head, his face was now as red as a tomato, and felt like an idiot like Athrun.

"I guess, the ring says it all..." Kira seems like he's hyperventilating. "C-can I melt now?"

Lacus giggled and hugged Kira tighter. "Aaawww...c'mon on now, Kira. Stop being such a wimp." he teased again.

"I'm not a wimp...I'm just nervous" Kira slowly smiled and started to say something. But Lacus suddenly pulled away and playfully slapped his shoulder, "Evil you! I was worried that you'll never gonna ask me that. Pfft," she giggled and took off his necklace around Kira's neck, picking off the original silver ring.

Quickly, she put the ring onto his finger where it belonged, then held his hand with both of hers.

"Well, will you?" Kira asked again. She looked up into his eyes – she wasn't laughing anymore.

"There's nothing I want more," she whispered, and reached up to kiss him.

End of Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3 Signs of Rebellion

**The New Seeds**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny series and their characters. If I did, then I would be the happiest girl in the world.

Author's Note: Well this next chapie is more about Kira and Athrun...and of course the twins are in it...It's a bit funny, and a bit serious too...And to be honest, I don't feel really confident about this next chap. Cause i think I really lost my mojo writing...But i would like to thank my GSR family for supporting me...thanks guys...thanks...

_ooOoo_

Chapter 3: Signs of Rebellion

10 months later...

Athrun walked up in the hall in the Terminal briskly, leading his way to the Commander's Office. He walked passed a few cadets, in which the cadets gave way and saluted, Athrun nodded in respond to their formal sign of respect. Even if he's not wearing his uniform, Athrun is still known in Orb as a high ranking officer. He stopped by the door, and started to straighten his black jacket, he ran a hand through his blue windswept hair before pushing a button on the intercom.

"This is Athrun Zala, sir."

"The door is open." Kira's calm voice issued from the intercom beside the door. "I'm in the office, Athrun."

Athrun opened the door and went inside, his booted feet silent as he walked down the hall to Kira's office. With small clicks, the door locks automatically engaged behind him. The door to Kira's office was unexpectedly closed. Athrun paused for a moment, and then opened it without knocking.

Kira was behind his desk, computer on, scanning through files on his desk. He gave his best friend one of his rare, warm smiles. "Watch where you step." he advised. "Munchkins on deck."

Automatically Athrun looked down, checking out the floor, but he didn't see either of the twins.

"Where?" Athrun asked.

Kira leaned back in his chair a little, looking around for his offspring. Spotting them, he said, "Under the desk. When they heard me let you in, they hid." Kira chuckled.

Athrun raised his eyebrows. To his knowledge, the ten-month-old twins weren't in a habit of hiding from anyone or anything. He looked more carefully and saw four plump, dimpled baby hands peeping from under the cover of Kira's desk.

"They aren't very good at it, " Athrun observed. "I can see their hands."

"Give them a break, Athrun, they're new at this stuff. They've only started it doing this week. They're playing Attack." Kira tried to threaten his friend.

"Attack?" fighting the urge to laugh, Athrun said, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Just stand there. They'll burst from the cover as fast as they can crawl and grab you by the ankles."

"Any biting involved?" Athrun was starting to feel nervous.

"Not yet." Kira grinned at him.

"Okay. What are they going to do with me once they have me captured?"

"They haven't gotten to that part yet. For now, they just pull themselves up and stand there giggling." Kira scratched his head. "Maybe they'll sit on your feet to hold you down, but for the most part they like standing too much to settle for the sitting." Kira laughed quietly.

The attack erupted. Even with Kira's warning, Athrun was a little surprised. They were remarkably quiet, for babies. He had to admire their precision; they launched themselves from under the desk at a rapid crawl, plump little legs pumping, and with little triumphant crows attached themselves to his ankles. Dimpled hands clutched his pants. The one on the left plopped down on his foot for a second, then thought better of the tactic and twisted around to begin hauling himself to an upright position. Baby arms wrapped around his knees, and the two little conquerors squealed with delight, their bubbling chuckles eliciting laughter from both men.

"Cool." Athrun said admiringly. "Predator babies." He tossed the file onto Kira's desk and leaned down to scoop the little warriors into his arms, settling each diapered bottom on a forearm. Rie and Souichirou grinned at him, six tiny white baby teeth shining in each of the twins dimpled face, and immediately they began patting his face with their fat little hands, pulling his ears, delving into his jacket's pockets. It was like being attacked by two squirming, remarkably heavy marshmallows.

"Good God, Kira." Athrun said in astonishment. "They weigh a ton." He hadn't expected them to have grown so much in the two months since he had seen them.

"Yeah, well, Lacus wants the twins to be...uhmmm..."healthy"." Kira told his friend.

"Really? Where is Lacus anyway?" Athrun asked.

"We had a shoe crisis. Don't ask." Kira grumbled behind his desk.

"How do you have a shoe crisis?" Athrun asked, unable to resist. He sat down in a big, comfortable chair across from Kira's desk, settling the twins more comfortably in his lap. They lost interest in pulling his ears and began babbling to each other, reaching out, entwining their arms and legs as if they sought the closeness they had known while forming in their mother's womb. Athrun unconsciously stroked them, enjoying the softness of their skin, the feel of squirming babies in his arms.

_I wish I'll have kids like these two..._Athrun smiled.

Kira laced his hands behind his head, allowing his body to relax. "You know how Lacus loves her shiny, white, patent leather Sunday shoes. Then you make the severe tactical error of letting the twins watch _The Wizard of Oz_." Kira's mouth twitched and his purple eyes glittered with amusement. "The twins dyed Lacus' shoes red." he added.

"What did they use to dye them?" Athrun gave a laugh.

"Lipstick, what else?" Kira sighed.

"You couldn't just wipe it off?" Athrun was still laughing, while the twins had discovered his belt buckle and zipper. Athrun moved the busy little hands that were trying to undress him. They began squirming to get down, and he leaned over to set them on the floor.

"Close the door, " Kira instructed. "...or they'll escape."

Leaning back, Athrun stretched out his arm and closed the door, just in time. The two diaper-clad escape artists had almost reached it. Deprived of freedom, they plopped down on their padded bottoms and considered the situation, then launched themselves in crawling patrol of the perimeters of the room.

"I _could _have wiped it off... " Kira continued. "...if I had known about it. Unfortunately, Lacus cleaned the shoes herself. She put them in the dishwasher."

Athrun threw back his head with a shout of laughter. "Now, why would Lacus do such a thing?"

"Don't ask at me. I tried to understand how the female minds works. But it was a really weird territory to step into." Kira sighed.

"I gather Lacus has taken Murrue shopping now, hasn't she?"

"Exactly." Kira glanced over to check on his roaming offspring. As if they had been waiting for his parental notice, first Rie, and then Souichi plopped down on their butts and gave brief warning cries, all the while watching their father expectantly.

"Feeding time. " Kira said, swiveling his chair around so he could fetch two bottles from a small cooler behind his desk. He handed one to Athrun. "Grab a kid."

"You're prepared, as always." Athrun commented as he went over to the twins and leaned down to lift one in his arms. It was Souichirou.

"I have to be prepared. Murrue weaned them last month, and they don't take kindly to having to wait for dinner."

Souichi's round grey eyes were fiercely focused on the bottle in Athrun's hand.

"Why did she wean them so early?" Athrun asked as he resumed his seat and settled the baby in the crook of his left arm.

"You'll see." Kira grinned, settling Rie on his lap.

As soon as Athrun brought the bottle within reach of Souichi's fat little hands the baby made a grab for it, guiding it to his rapacious, open mouth. He clamped down ferociously on the nipple. Evidently deciding to let his uncle hold the bottle, he nevertheless made certain the situation was stabilized by clutching Athrun's wrist with both hands, and wrapping both chubby legs around Athrun's forearm. Then he began to growl as he sucked, pausing only to swallow.

An identical growling noise came from Kira's lap. Athrun looked over to see his best friend's arm captured in the same manner as the two little savages held on to their meals.

Milk bubbled around Souichi's rosebud mouth, and Athrun blinked as six tiny white teeth gnawed on the plastic nipple.

"Hell, no wonder Murrue weaned you little guys!" Athrun said in surprise.

Souichi didn't pause in his gnawing, sucking and growling, but he did flick an absurdly glance at his uncle before returning his full attention to filling his little belly.

Kira was laughing softly, and he lifted Rie enough that he could nuzzle one of her chubby legs so determinedly wrapped around his arm. Rie paused to scowl at the interruption, then changed his mind and instead favored his father with a dimpled, milky smile. The next second the smile was gone and she attacked the bottle again.

"By the way, Cagalli is pregnant." Athrun informed his best friend.

Kira's head jerked up, and a wide grin lit his tanned face. His sister had been married nine whole months with his best friend Athrun.

"When is it due?" Kira asked excitedly.

"By the end of June, I guess." Athrun answered briefly, he looked at the twins. "You two will soon have a cousin, make sure to be nice, okay?"

Kira chuckled. Other than the fact that his sister was a tomboyish princess is married to his clueless best friend, he didn't expect that they would do it so fast.

Kira saw the folder that Athrun tossed earlier and nodded toward the file on his desk. "Are you going to tell me about it?" Kira tried to shift the conversation to a more serious matter.

Athrun knew that Kira was asking about more than the contents of the file. He was asking why it hadn't been transmitted by computer, instead of Athrun personally bringing a hard copy. He was also asking why he hadn't been notified of Athrun's change in itinerary, why his best friend hadn't made a simple phone call to let him know he was coming.

"I didn't want to risk even a hint of this leaking out." Athrun said in his serious tone.

"We have security problems?" Kira's eyebrows rose.

"Nothing that I know of." Athrun said. "It's what I don't know about that worries me. But, like I said, no one else can hear even a whisper of this. It's between us."

"Now you've made me curious." Kira's cool soft purple eyes gleamed with interest.

"There have been a number of attacks back up in the PLANTs." Athrun paused for a brief moment. "Apparently, it's been happening near the Chairwoman's Residence." he continued.

_Lacus..._

Kira didn't straighten from his relaxed position, but his expression hardened.

"Valen Hauer." Athrun told Kira the name.

"I know the name." Kira said. "Valen Hauer has been in our number one target list for years, but the terrorist was as elusive as he was vicious."

They had yet to find any way to get close to him, any vulnerability they could exploit or bait that they could use to lure him into a trap. There was a record of a marriage in London some three years ago, but Hauer's wife, formerly Marinela Vickery, had disappeared, and no trace of her had ever been found. Athrun, along with everyone else, had assumed the woman died soon after the marriage, either by Hauer's hand or by his enemies'.

"He's the one responsible for the supposedly robbery of Lacus' package last month, when she visited back to PLANTs." Athrun told his friend.

"You think it was a setup?" Kira didn't miss the 'supposedly' in Athrun's statement. He remembered how frightened Lacus was, when she informed her husband about the incident.

"I think it was a damn good opportunity for Hauer. Lacus had the new top secret aerospace documents with her." Athrun answered back.

"Did you leave any fingerprints?" Kira asked.

"Nothing that will lead back to us. I went to through a couple of relays, then hacked into their system and accessed the files."

"Good." the commander nodded.

Souichi finished his bottle; his ferocious grip on it slackened, and his head lolled against Athrun's arm as he briefly struggled against sleep. Automatically Athrun lifted the baby to his shoulder and began patting his back.

"Did you have anything in your mind, Kira?"

"I need to stay close to Lacus from now on." Kira took the bottle from Rie's slackened grip and gently lifting the sleeping baby over his shoulder.

"I agree. She needs you, Kira."

"I know...I know Athrun." Kira said.

_I won't let anything happen to my family...Neither to Lacus, nor to the twins...I won't let them...I swear..._

End of chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4 Black Raven Wings

**The New Seeds**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny series and their characters. If I did, then I would be the happiest girl in the world.

Author's note: There's a secret hidden behind the title of this chapter, "Black raven wings". It's about Kira's dream, I omitted some parts of it...so there...hehehe... it's a bit short...but I hope you guys enjoy it. And another thing, I made Djibril the evil dude here, 'coz I really don't like him...hehehe...scratches head...

ooOoo

Chapter 4: Black raven wings

_It's been three blasted years. I have spent years living under the cloak of darkness, but each moment has been worth it. My plans are finally complete and my men have gathered enough followers to carry them out. _

_A lot has changed since the last war ended. PLANTs and the Earth Alliance are severely weakened because of their current leaders, and same goes to the nation of Orb. What pathetic losers the leaders of these poor nations have? That pink haired songstress as the Chairwoman of PLANTs, the little miss goody-goody-two-shoes, ZAFT is growing weak because of her. And that good for nothing Yamato kid being the General helping her with it. And then there's the Chief Representative of Orb, that little brat, acting so high and mighty. The world grew weak because of them, they claim themselves as heroes, but what they really wanted is fame and power. Hmph, they're all the same. _

_Peace between both Coordinators and Naturals has grown in the past years. However, no one can see what is forming beneath this veil of darkness. An evil is brewing, an evil that wishes to bring back the suffering and take revenge upon the only man who can be considered the true face of evil: Lord Djibril._

_Years ago, I was a common officer working under Djibril, no one guessing I was anything special, never regarded by the man I looked up to. I fought for him and praised him for what he did. But soon after, he died. That was when I fled and went into hiding._

_No one knows what was coming. Only those who follow me will be the ones who will survive my attack. I'll strike right through their hearts and torture them little by little. And I'll be starting with their new born seeds. Then, I will see Yamato and Clyne fall to their knees in front of me and I will kill both of them._

_I wonder...is anyone prepared for what's about to hit them? _

'_Coz soon, they'll feel the wrath of Valen Hauer..._

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Blackness. Inescapable blackness. No light, no sound, neither smell nor taste, nothing to the touch. The senses were numb, and time itself seemed to be at a standstill. The nothingness overwhelmed… its seeming emptiness was filled with fleeting emotions… pain… sorrow, solitude… pain… fear, guilt, despair… pain… The darkness was everything…

"Lacus!" Kira cried out her name as he suddenly awoke, sitting up in reflex. He was breathing heavily, and his nightshirt was damp with cold sweat even though it was a cool midmorning. He hugged himself involuntarily, his head drooping heavily onto his chest, and he forced himself to stay calm.

He called them dreams, but they weren't really dreams. Dreams were supposed to be pleasant reveries, images of nighttime wishes that may or may never come true. Dreams were an escape to the realm of fantasy, to the world that existed only in one's imagination. They were the visual and fanciful manifestations of the unconscious mind.

But this time his 'dreams' were different—they were impenetrable, suffocating darkness, and the intense, voiceless screaming of a thousand agonizing emotions… so intense that, if it hadn't been for Lacus, they would have long ago driven him insane. Lacus had always been there for him, to hold and reassure him whenever the dreams would come.

But this night made it harder to push the dreams away. His first instinct when he'd suddenly wake up from them was to turn to Lacus. But now, it his turn to protect her...to protect them...his family...

_For her sake, and for our children's..._

_I will not fail..._

Kira looked at his pink haired wife still sleeping beside him. A smile crossed his face as he moved closer to her, staring at her while the gentle glow illuminating the outline of her face. Gently so as not to wake her , he pulled up the blanket to cover her still body, stroking some of her soft pink hair off her peaceful face. He shook his head, firmly shutting his head to such horrible thoughts from his dreams.

He slowly stood up, careful enough not to disturb Lacus' slumber. He went to the other room next to theirs, it was the twins' room, half painted blue for Souichirou's side, and half pink for Rie's. He poked his head though the door and checked on his offspring. They're still up in dreamland.

It was only three in the morning, but he dared not go back to sleep. Instead, he walked back to their bedroom and took a warm shower to wake himself up. After dressing into his clothes, he spent the rest of the morning reading up on his paperwork.

The sun was still low on the horizon, but the sky was already blue. That was the difference between the sunrise and the sunset, he mused. The sunrise was always clear and pristine, while the sunset was red, the sunset was more pervasive, and the sunset always had more color. He preferred sunrise rather than sunset, because somehow, the sunrise reminds him of Lacus, pure and pristine.

Kira breathed in some morning fresh air, letting it freshen up his body, closing his eyes as he forms happy images of his family having a time of their lives. Kira's eyes slowly and reluctantly pulled themselves open upon hearing the loud rapping on his door. In order not to awaken his sleeping wife, he avoided the concept of yelling to the one who had chosen to knock upon his bedroom door at all hours in the morning. While grumbling curses to himself, he carried himself to the door of his room. His fingers laced around the golden door handle, and his wrist gave it a quick flick in order to open it. He opened the door just wide enough so he would be able to slip out his chambers.

"Sir, I apologize for the intrusion at such an early hour but..." the speaker was interrupted by Kira's angry tone.

"You'd better be. Now what is going on that is so important that cannot be told to me at a later hour?"

"A letter from Athrun Zala, sir. The messenger said that it was urgent and should be brought to your attention immediately." The young cadet spoke quickly, while bowing and offering Kira the folded script of paper.

Kira's anger was forgotten as he swiped the paper from the cadet. "You may leave now." With a nod of his head, the cadet was sent off, and Kira's attention was averted to the paper. He eagerly unfolded it and allowed his eyes to peruse the words upon it.

"Kira, what is it...?" Lacus' voice echoed from within the bedroom.

As Kira returned to his room, he saw that his wife was already up and about, fixing her strands of pink hair with a soft bristled brush.

"It's a letter from Athrun." Kira said.

"What was it about? Is he asking us to visit? I'd really like to see Cagalli and Athrun again." Lacus said with a smile.

"I wish that it was only that." He allowed a brief bit of silence to fall over himself and his wife. He held his pause until Lacus peered over his shoulder, and her grey eyes stared at him, inquiring the true contents of the letter. "There's been another attack up in the PLANTs. But this time, some civilians are hurt too." Kira said sadly.

"It's happening again, Kira." Lacus' voice was shaking and tears began to form in her eyes.

Kira gave his wife a secured hug, burying his face onto her pink soft hair. "Don't worry, Lacus. I won't let them hurt you and the twins." He said in very reassuring voice.

"Kira..." And right there and then, it was too much to hold in. Years of pain welled up inside of her at once; all the fear, loneliness, anger, hurt and grief. Lacus let out a muffled sob, burying her face against Kira's chest as warm tears moistened her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

Kira rested his chin on top of her head, then slowly lowered it and closed his eyes, pressing his nose against her soft, pink hair. "I'll protect you, Lacus... I'll protect you, Rie and Souichi...I swear I will." he held Lacus more tightly.

"I love you, Kira," she said, barely audibly.

He stroked a hand through her hair, letting her own tears escape, but a small smile rested on her lips.

"I know, I love you too, Lacus." He said with a smile followed by a tender kiss laid upon her soft lips.

_Even if I have to fight again... I will..._

_I'll fight for you, to protect you, and to protect our children..._

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5 Voices in the dark

**The New Seeds**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny series and their characters. If I did, then I would be the happiest girl in the world.

ooOoo

Chapter 5: Voices in the dark

Januarius Five

Nightfall

The silence of the streets is broken by the panicky footsteps of a lone figure barreling down through the cobblestone alleys. His shroud falling around his feet, causing him to stumble every so often, the clumsy figure finally stops at the end of a dark alley.

In the far distance, the chapel bells strike the tone of two o'clock. The panting man doubles his pace, knowing that he's already late. He leaned back at a wall in order to catch his breath. But before he could even breathe a single breath, he was grasped by a mysterious figure. The man struggled as his arm was pinned behind his back, and a hand was placed over his mouth. The mysterious stranger lifted him up and dragged him further down the alley. The figure vigorously threw the man to the ground and stepped back.

"You're late, Reid." a voice emitted.

Attempting to stand, and brush off the dirt on his clothes, Reid lifted his head towards the direction of his employer. "I'm sorry sir, but the security in the city has become so..."

"No excuses Reid." the voice uttered.

Reid began to panic. He stood to explain himself, yet was met with a boot kicking him at the back from his previous assailant. The attack sent Reid crashing to the ground.

"Thank you, Malice." the voice muttered again. The source of the voice, immersed in the shadow, stepped forward making himself visible. His black coat billowing from his shoulders, as his long blonde hair fell past his shoulders, he brushed some strands of his hair from face.

"Lord Valen." Reid panicked. "My most humble apologies, sir, but I..."

"That's enough Reid, I don't have time to listen to your lame excuses." Valen said. "Do you have the information?"

"Y-yes, sir..." Reid stammered. "My sources from the council informed me that she's been into hiding for security reasons."

"And what about the boy?"

"Well, General Yamato..." Reid paused.

"Speak up, Reid." Valen spoke. "Or shall I have Ms. Malice extract the information from your lifeless corpse."

"Well, he's been keeping a close eye at the Chairwoman." Reid turned to face his assailant lurking in the nearby shadows. The figure still cloaked in the darkness, only intuition could allow Malice to be detected. "He's personally guarding Lacus Clyne."

"I see..." Valen's eyes sparkled. "Where are they hiding now?"

"We don't know yet sir, but our spies are currently on the move to find them."

"Good." Valen gave a smirk. "Fools...No matter where they run or hide, they'll never get away from me...never..."

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It was a warm summer day, mid-August, and the sky was a cloudless clear blue, bees buzzed around Lacus' flowers at the garden, and birds sang continuously in the trees. A house came into view in the broad valley below. The house was large, with five bedrooms and four baths, but not ostentatious; Kira had instinctively built the house so it wouldn't attract undue attention. It didn't look as large as it was, because some of the rooms were underground. He had also built it to be as secure as possible, positioning it so he had an unrestricted view in all directions, but using natural formations of the land to block land access by all but the one road. The doors were steel, with state-of-the-art locks. Strategic walls had interior armor, and an emergency generator was installed in the basement. The basement also concealed another means of escape, if escape became necessary. And lastly, motion sensors were installed around the house.

Kira didn't keep his family locked in a prison, but the security provisions were there if needed. Given his job, prudence demanded caution, and Kira had always prepared for emergencies. Soldiers were stationed in every corner of the house, inside and outside. And of course, with the special participation from his best friend with the security Athrun Zala, together with their friend Dearka Elsman of ZAFT.

Athrun and Dearka were taking a final walk outside of the house to ensure everything was in order. Finally, as they reached the last corner of the house, Athrun stopped and leaned against the wall. Dearka looked around, then shook his head.

"Man, I didn't think it'd be that easy! One second, we're all surrounded by scums, and the next – POOF, they're all gone!"

"It could be a trick," Athrun reminded him.

Dearka shrugged, "Yeah, I know… But still. I guess Hauer and his men are still confused after Djibril's defeat. Heh."

Athrun sighed lightly and smiled, shaking his head, "If we're lucky, maybe this is the end of this mission.. …But knowing a terrorist like Hauer, this isn't the last fight they'll go through with."

"Hell, they should give us a break. It's not like we haven't fought for world peace plenty already. And this is boring," Dearka stepped backwards and leaned his back against the wall next to Athrun,

"Never thought I'd say it, but I miss 'her'." Dearka said in a rather lonely tone. "I wonder how Milly is doing," the guy mused, glancing up at the sky.

Athrun shot him a curious look, "…Milly? Miriallia???"

"Uh… Did I say Milly? I meant… oh… uh… nothing," Dearka felt himself start to blush furiously, much to Athrun's amusement.

"Oh, come on, Deaka, you can tell me," Athrun chuckled, "It's me, remember!"

"Well… all right," Dearka looked at the ground, "You remember that's her… CIC in the Archangel? … Well, I talked a lot with her, and… we kinda…"

Athrun's chuckles rapidly turned into laughter, "Oh man! Are you telling me that you, Dearka Elsman, are in love?!"

"Yeah, just shout louder, will ya! I don't think Valen Hauer heard you over in PLANTs!" Dearka threw his arms up and pushed away from the wall, grunting.

"Sorry," Athrun chuckled, "…It's just so hard… to imagine you in that situation."

The boy made a motion to say something nasty in return, but he didn't get the chance. A high-pitched scream was heard from deeper within the house. The two of them looked at each other, then both of them turned and ran in the direction of the sound.

The exact same thought went through their minds:

_Lacus!_

End of Chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6 A long sleepless night

**The New Seeds**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny series and their characters. If I did, then I would be the happiest girl in the world.

ooOoo

Chapter 6: A long sleepless night

Several of the soldiers were gathered inside and outside of the house as Athrun and Dearka arrived. They found another one of their allies within the crowd.

Dearka stopped in front of them, hands on his knees as he panted, "What the hell is goin' on?!"

Yzak shook his head, "I don't know. I just got here too."

Another scream pierced the confused commotion, followed closely by the sound of gunfire. Athrun was quick to take action, "Dearka! Yzak! Follow me!"

The three of them and the some of the cadets ran into the house and leapt right over the bar that was supposed to keep intruders away from the rooms. They headed straight to the source of the disturbing sounds – Kira's room.

They could clearly hear there was a fight going on, but it was impossible to know who was winning, or who was attacking. Athrun pulled at the handle of the door, only to find himself unable to get in, "It's locked!"

"Move over Athrun, let me try," Dearka offered. He stepped forward and started ramming his side into the door to break it open. Yzak went over to help.

The room was a total mess. Broken furniture laid spread everywhere, accompanied by a couple of dead bodies. Lacus stood in a corner, watching the scene with wide eyes, shivering. There wasn't much she could do – she didn't even have a weapon she could use. She wasn't prepared for this. In one minute, she and Kira had been sitting on the bed, chatting quietly – and the next, six men had barged through the window and attacked them.

Kira had immediately whipped out his handgun to defend himself and Lacus. Considering his skill, the assailants shouldn't be much of a challenge to him, but it was difficult for one man to take on six enemies at the same time.

Two had already fallen, but there was still four left, and he could only concentrate at one at the time. He fought the best he could, teeth gritted, hands firmly holding the gun, sweat dripping from his forehead. He barely had time to think, but in the back of his mind he wondered just where these men had come from, and how did they find them. Vaguely, he noticed the dull thumping on the door of someone trying to brake in.

Kira looked at the door's direction. _What the—_

"Kira, look out!" Lacus shouted.

Kira turned around and heard Lacus' warning, but it was too late. One of the men took aim and shot him from behind, the bullet tearing into the skin of Kira's arm. Wincing in pain, the boy fell to his knees, blood matting his black long sleeved shirt. .

_Darn it! Can't fight well… in this condition…_

He felt a strange, prickling sensation at the back of his neck, and he swept around just in time to block the attack of another one of the assailant's dagger. He forced the soldier off balance, and used the time gained to kick at his stomach, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his arm.

Yet another assailant was approaching Kira, but was rudely interrupted as a chair went flying at one of the men behind Kira. Lacus threw the chair in order to save her defender.

The impact of the chair didn't kill the man, but it gave Kira time to get to his feet. It seemed like he was winning the fight, when he yet again was interrupted by Lacus' voice.

"Kira!!!"

The last assailant was heading towards Lacus, ready to attack with his dagger. He was too close, and she wouldn't have time to run. Kira left the one he had been fighting with badly injured on the floor and hurried towards them.

_Must reach Lacus… before him. Can't let him get her…_

Still dazed from his various injuries and with only one thing at his mind, Kira leapt forward to cut off the assailant's attack. It was as if the whole scene went in slow motion. He felt himself in body contact with the man. Both lost their balance and fell to the floor. Somewhere in the background, the door was finally broken and his friends arrived. It was all a blur. He heard Lacus' scream, but didn't have time to figure out why, as the man flipped around and pinned him to the floor. Somehow, he had lost his gun in the process, and felt another gun press up at the back of head. Kira stared into the angry face of the man, and he could see Lacus out of the corner of his eye, looking terrified.

_Lacus_…

Two gunshots were heard. The soldier's expression changed to a pained one – he tensed, still holding the gun dangerously close to certain death for Kira… then he dropped heavily on top of him.

Disgusted, Kira pushed the body off himself, then closed his eyes and remained lying on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Kira!" Lacus quickly kneeled next to him.

The three others came running over, Dearka putting away his gun, Athrun bending down by his other side, "Kira, are you all right?" his bestfriend asked.

"I've been better," he muttered, blinking his eyes open again and getting up to a sitting position with the Yzak and Dearka's help.

Athrun was examining the bullet wounds on his right arm, "These are pretty bad. You should have the doctor take a look at them."

Kira just groaned, and Lacus wrapped her arms around his neck gently in a hug, "I'm so glad you're all right… I was so scared…"

Yzak on the other hand, looked around, "Man, what a mess! It looks like a bunch of idiots had a party in here!"

Dearka paced about, glancing at the fallen men, "Hey, I think this one is still alive!"

Athrun and Yzak moved over, and Athrun grabbed the man by his collar, "Why the hell you comin' in here attackin' our Commander?!"

The man winced and coughed up blood, his voice hoarse, "They told us… to get out… the.. Chairwo..," he coughed again, and Athrun glanced at the others. This one wasn't going to last for long.

Athrun shook him and hissed, "Come on, spit it out!"

"…We… resisted… PLANTs… should be… our property… we seek revenge… for our friends… who were killed…," his eyes widened slightly and he stared up at Athrun, "…by you… bastards…"

Athrun snorted and dropped the body to the ground, "You want another war?"

Kira had staggered to his feet and was making his way over to them, a bit stunned by how cold-hearted these assailants could be. He shook his head and put a hand to his forehead, "This is… strange…"

Athrun sighed and Lacus looked at the floor, "I guess… you were right, Kira… They wouldn't give up that easily, just like you said."

Just at that moment, one of the other cadets came running into the room, "Sir, I have a mess- Oh! …Did something… happen… in here?"

Yzak turned and glared at him, "What makes you think something happened? What gave it away? The corpses?"

"Mr. Joule!" Lacus hissed.

"Sorry, Sir…," the young cadet swallowed, clearly uncomfortable, "I saw the big crowd outside and… Well, anyway, Sir, I have a message from Lady Cagalli," he stepped forward and handed the paper to Kira, then fled the room.

Kira's eyes narrowed as he read the note. The others stepped over to him.

"What is it?" Lacus asked.

"She wants us to return to Orb by tomorrow morning, she has important news."

"WOO-HOO! We're going back! And Milly-chan is working there as a photographer right?" Dearka cheered, jumping up and down.

"Shut up, Dearka. We're not going for picnic." Yzak barked at his friend.

"Anyway, I think we could all need some rest… It's been a long night," the others nodded at Kira's suggestion.

Kira took a brief glance around and sighed, "I think I need a new room." 

End of Chapter 6


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